(Feb News) In the midst of the rapid change in broadcast media consumption patterns, the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga (FEB Unair) in collaboration with JTV held a Focusing Group Discussion (FGD) titled "Navigating a Changing Media Landscape" on Friday (16/5), at the Aseec Lt. Building. 4 (Rote Room), Campus B, Surabaya. This event is a strategic forum for academics and media practitioners to discuss various challenges as well as opportunities in the process of broadcasting transformation in Indonesia. This FGD presented the main speaker of Iman Brotoseno, President Director of LPP TVRI, who explained his views on the future of the television industry in the digital age.
Lately, the issue of termination of employment (layoffs) in the broadcasting industry has become a warm conversation, both on social media and in direct conversations between media workers. "Many of them lost their jobs and contacted me, hoping to join our platform, because the APBN -based TV was considered unlikely to do layoffs," said Iman. However, if layoffs occur on government television, it has the potential to become a big issue on social media, as has happened before.
This phenomenon shows that the problem is serious and does not only occur in Indonesia. Throughout the world, the interest in watching TV began to decline, especially since the occurrence of media disruption. Television position in the media literacy landscape is increasingly marginalized. In the United States, Nielsen noted that TV audiences were only 23%left, while the rest had switched to streaming . In Indonesia, although 56% of people are still watching TV in 2023, "I am sure the number has declined in 2024. Even the data shows that national TV audiences are reduced by around 7% every year. If this trend continues, it is not impossible in 2030, conventional TVs are no longer the main media. So what changes is not the TV, but how to watch it," explained Faith.
So, does this mean television will become extinct? Certainly not. What changes is the pattern of consumption. Television as an industry still exists, but the way people access their content have shifted. Now, television shows are consumed through YouTube, Facebook, and various other digital platforms. Watch activities are no longer collective, but personal and flexible. This requires the television industry to continue to adapt. Social media is now not only a distribution channel, but also the main source of information. "If you want to know what is busy out there, just open Twitter or Tiktok for an hour," said Iman.
The younger generation tends to want two -way interactions, not only to be a passive information recipient. They trust more friends' recommendations on social media than mainstream media. Therefore, television needs to build community ecosystems with relevant content, such as lifestyle, tourism, and culinary. For example, TVRI South Sulawesi created a local tourism program in Rammang-Rammang, Maros. Although its location is not very widely known, the content is able to be the subject of conversation on social media and attract the interest of the audience, even in different ways.
Television can also be a means of education for the younger generation. Many of them are interested in the world of cameras, editing and film production. "If you want to learn the world of broadcasting, come to the TV station. We need a new generation that is fresh and creative," Faith added.
We can emulate the BBC, which since 2007 has had an iplayer , and even targets to leave conventional broadcasts completely in 2030. Relevance is something that must be maintained, not just maintaining existence. "We are not losing the audience, we only lose the old way of greeting them," concluded Iman. It is time for television to evolve, not only in terms of technology, but also in the way of thinking and building relationships with the public.
Author: Sevalnya Fildzah Setiawan (E-Radio Feb Unair)
